Green beauty is on the rise these days. So is all the information on how to make your own skincare products. But where do you start? With so many essential oils, natural herbs and such... which works best for your skin type? Here we have composed a great list of natural ingredients, herbs and oils you can add to your homemade face cleansers, homemade facial masks, toners, face scrubs and more.

All of the below can be in oil, herb, flower or natural state. When using fresh herbs, make your skin care batches smaller as these will not stay fresh as long as if used essential oils in your blends. And always read warnings on health effects as some ingredients should not be used on every person.

Castor oil acts as a skin cleansing agent. It can be drying. If your skin is oily, use more castor oil as opposed to your other ingredients. And vise versa if your skin is dry.

Olive oil also acts as a cleansing agent and is rich in antioxidants and helps help free radical damage. Great for wrinkles!

Sandalwood Essential Oil has an astringent effect on oily skin and helps soothe irritated skin. Use sandalwood in facial blends to help balance the skin. Also helpful for removing wrinkles and scars.

Chamomile Powdered Herbal Extract is used for its anti-inflammatory properties. When added to cream and lotion formulations, chamomile powdered extract soothes irritated skin and reduces redness and swelling due to rashes or other irritations.

Tea Tree Essential Oil is helpful within acne products and can help fight cold sores and heal wounds.

Green Tea Leaf Powdered Herbal Extract is a powerful antioxidant that helps rejuvenate the skin, prevent damage from the sun and promote elasticity. Perfect in anti-aging creams and cleansers.

Carrot seed essential oil is used primarily for its healing properties and effects on the skin. It stimulates circulation, repairs and tones the skin, increases elasticity, reduces the formation of wrinkles, and scars. Use in any anti-aging cleansers, creams, and treatments and you'll get great results!

Sweet almond oil is a great emollient for softening and conditioning the skin and hair. It is well suited for eczema, psoriasis and itchy, dry and inflamed skin. It is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and E.

Apricot kernel oil is a light, yet emollient oil that is high in oleic and linoleic acids. It is recommended for mature skin, sensitive skin and skin that is inflamed, irritated or dry.

Avocado oil has been used in African skin treatments for centuries. This highly therapeutic oil is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B5 (Panthothenic acid), Vitamin D, E, minerals, protein, lecithin and fatty acids. It is a useful, penetrating nutrient for dry skin and eczema. Avocado oil is said to have healing and regenerating qualities.

Pomegranate seed oil is remarkable ability to nourish, moisturize and improve skin elasticity. Pomegranate seed oil is high in lipids including pucinic acid and is effective in treating dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and sunburned skin. Studies have shown that pomegranate oil is effective at killing cancer cells when applied topically.

Jojoba oil is highly penetrating and closely resembles the natural sebum within our skin. Use jojoba in facial blends to remove excess oils and to help balance the skin's natural oil. You can slo substitue the olive oil for Jojoba oil for normal to oily skin.

Strawberry Seed Oil is an ideal ingredient for inclusion in anti-aging formulations and products intended for dry or damaged skin.

Coconut oil is useful in formulations for dry, itchy, sensitive skin. It will not clog pores, and it absorbs readily into the skin.

Hazelnut oil is a light, penetrating oil that is slightly astringent. It is a suitable addition to formulations intended to be used on acne prone skin. Hazelnut oil is high in essential fatty acids and is soothing and healing to dry, irritated skin.

Flax seed oil is a nourishing addition to formulations intended to help treat eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, acne and aging skin. Flax seeds are a rich source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) an the Omega-3 series of essential fatty acids.

Herbs, essential oils and more to add to your homemade skin care regimen

Oatmeal: Great for homemade masks. Moisturizing. Can be a bit sticky and you must grind it down to a fine dust or it will make a mess.

Dark brown sugar: Makes a wonderful exfoliant and smells great too!

Salt: The bigger the grain the harsher the scrub. Great healing agents. Be cautious on sensitive skin.

Baking Soda: Perfect texture for an exfoliant. Mix with a little lemon juice for the perfect acne treatment!

Rice bran powder is gently exfoliating and is a old Japanese secret for smooth, soft skin. Rice bran powder is said to prevent wrinkles, quickly heal blemishes, absorb the dirt and oil from the pores, balance the natural oils in the skin, and moisturize. It can be used with clays, nut meals, adzuki bean powder, milk powders, oatmeal, powdered sea vegetables, herbal extracts and herb powders for face mask and body wrap formulations.

Ingredients to add to your Face Toners. Great to mix with 4 oz. of Witch Hazel

Sandalwood Essential Oil has an astringent effect on oily skin and helps soothe irritated skin. Use sandalwood in facial blends to help balance the skin. Also helpful for removing wrinkles and scars.

Tea Tree Essential Oil is helpful within acne products and can help fight cold sores and heal wounds and is an effective acne fighter.

Carrot seed essential oil is used primarily for its healing properties and effects on the skin. It stimulates circulation, repairs and tones the skin, increases elasticity, reduces the formation of wrinkles, and scars.

Patchouli essential oil is an effective anti-inflammatory. Patchouli helps to tighten the pores of the skin and is used to combat wrinkles.

Rose Otto Essential Oil, Bulgaria is also useful in facial formulations as it helps with dry, maturing skin and wrinkles.

Lavender. Research indicates anti-inflammatory, analgesic properties useful in cases of arthritis, rheumatism, muscular aches, pains and sports injuries. Calming, relaxing properties soothe stress, used in the evening bath, added as the water is running,

Oatmeal. Very moisturizing. Useto relieve itchyness and dry skin. Grind the oatmeal before adding to bath water. Can use regular store bought oatmeal or a holistic powder type.

Natural Beauty at Home includes over two hundred of Janice Cox's recipes (many have been passed down through three generations of her family) for everything from shampoo and mouthwash to face masks and lip gloss, so readers can customize their beauty regimen, save money, and have fun, all at once. In this new edition, Cox has refined over twenty years' worth of simple and self-indulgent recipes for body and soul, including: